How to Create a Home Library

13:49
Pippa Ainsworth
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If you’re creating a home library, regardless of income, well done, you’ve made it in life. At the same time though, you’re clearly an educated individual to be having so many books in your life, so you’ll not be throwing money around.

Whether you want a low-light room for little else than books and reading, or you want a useable office space that has plenty of functionality, there are a couple of things you can do to achieve the best style and practical use out of the room, and here are some of those things, accompanied with some things to look out for on the way.

Floors

It seems sensible to start from the bottom, and having the right load-bearing capabilities is important if you’re having an expansive collection of literature sitting on it.

For a wood floor to be considered load-bearing it needs to be at least 18mm thick, preferably higher, and needs to be nailed down at regular intervals. Solid wood flooring is often not thick or strong enough for this to be done, so special load-bearing engineered wood flooring can be made using pressed layers to create an extra-thick, load-bearing surface to work from. Any industry expert will be able to give you more information on exactly what kind of structural integrity you need.

While you don’t want a dark room that’s difficult to see in, lots of light can damage books, and make a really active, vibrant environment. If you’re using the space for a library alone then you probably want a calmer and mellowed room that lends towards thinking and relaxation. The Solid Wood Flooring Company provide a selection of dark oak flooring that’s great for home libraries and give a wide selection of styles, thickness and wood types to ensure you get the best type of floor.

Shelving

Now you’ve considered the floor you’re onto the most directly important part of a library: somewhere to put the books! Load-bearing is still a factor with shelves, but you have a bit more freedom in what materials and styles you pick.

Function makes a big difference in what kind of shelves you need. A multi-purpose office library could make do with free-standing bookshelves, and even single-purpose libraries can look good if you have enough floor space, but fitted bookshelves are generally better for rooms that only have one use.

Make to measure, then size.

There’s little worse than a bookshelf that has more space than books, so make sure you only provide as much space as you need. This is where free-standing shelves show their advantage, as they can be added in with relative ease.

Colour

Choosing the right colours for your library, and indeed any interior design DIY, is extremely important. Ultimately, colour sets the mood in a room so choose a colour wisely. For a home library, chocolate browns or dark greens and navy blue really set the scene and are a really good colour combination. When in doubt, choose a few tester pots to try on your walls and always refer to a colour wheel.

Relaxing space

You’ve now given the room a function, but you need somewhere to sit. It’s a good idea to provide two options in a library: one for a relaxed time reading novels and other fiction, but with a separate space for business and reading important papers, files and doing other business work. This makes sure you don’t get tired when trying to do work because you’ve made your library too relaxing.